Xabi Alonso Walking a Thin Line at Real Madrid Despite Dressing Room Endorsement.

No forward in Real Madrid’s history had experienced failing to find the net for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but finally he was unleashed and he had a message to deliver, performed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in nine months and was starting only his fifth appearance this season, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the lead against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he wheeled and sprinted towards the sideline to hug Xabi Alonso, the manager in the spotlight for whom this could signal an profound liberation.

“This is a challenging period for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Performances are not going our way and I wanted to prove people that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the lead had been taken from them, a setback ensuing. City had turned it around, taking 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso observed. That can occur when you’re in a “fragile” situation, he continued, but at least Madrid had responded. Ultimately, they could not engineer a recovery. Endrick, brought on having played 11 minutes all season, rattled the woodwork in the closing stages.

A Delayed Judgment

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo said. The question was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to retain his role. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been portrayed in the media, and how it was perceived internally. “We demonstrated that we’re behind the manager: we have given a good account, provided 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the axe was reserved, consequences suspended, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A Distinct Kind of Setback

Madrid had been overcome at home for the second time in four days, continuing their uninspiring streak to just two victories in eight, but this was a little different. This was the Premier League champions, not a lesser opponent. Simplified, they had actually run, the easiest and most critical accusation not levelled at them on this night. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a spot-kick, coming close to securing something at the death. There were “numerous of very good things” about this showing, the boss argued, and there could be “no blame” of his players, tonight.

The Bernabéu's Muted Response

That was not always the full story. There were moments in the latter period, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At full time, some of supporters had repeated that, although there was also some applause. But mostly, there was a muted flow to the exits. “That’s normal, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso stated: “This is nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were times when they clapped too.”

Squad Backing Stands Strong

“I sense the support of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he stood by them, they stood by him too, at least in front of the public. There has been a rapprochement, conversations: the coach had considered them, perhaps more than they had accommodated him, reaching a point not quite in the middle.

Whether durable a fix that is is still an matter of debate. One seemingly minor moment in the post-match press conference appeared notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to follow his own path, Alonso had allowed that notion to linger, responding: “I have a good rapport with Pep, we understand each other well and he understands what he is saying.”

A Foundation of Reaction

Above all though, he could be pleased that there was a spirit, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they defended him. Part of it may have been theatrical, done out of duty or self-interest, but in this context, it was significant. The commitment with which they played had been too – even if there is a danger of the most elementary of standards somehow being promoted as a kind of positive.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a plan, that their failings were not his fault. “I believe my colleague Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The key is [for] the players to change the approach. The attitude is the key thing and today we have seen a shift.”

Jude Bellingham, pressed if they were behind the coach, also responded quantitatively: “100%.”

“We persist in attempting to figure it out in the changing room,” he said. “We know that the [outside] chatter will not be beneficial so it is about attempting to sort it out in there.”

“I think the gaffer has been great. I individually have a excellent connection with him,” Bellingham added. “After the run of games where we tied a few, we had some very productive conversations among ourselves.”

“Everything ends in the end,” Alonso concluded, possibly speaking as much about a difficult spell as anything else.